Wisdom teeth extraction while wearing braces?

[AltoRose]

So tomorrow is the big day...I'm getting my braces! I'm simultaneously excited and terrified. I'm sure you can all relate. :)

Complicating my situation somewhat is I've recently learned that I have to have all of my wisdom teeth extracted. None of them are impacted---thank goodness---but I've developed cavities in three of them so my dentist recommended just getting them out. My oral surgery is scheduled for next Friday, so I'll have had my braces on for about a week at that point. Have any of you had your wisdom teeth out while you were wearing braces? Does it affect the pain level or recovery time? I told my oral surgeon that I'll be wearing braces and he didn't seem too concerned, but I'm interested in hearing real-life experiences if anyone has them.

[PrincessLea]

I had two of my wisdom teeth out whilst having braces - think I had the braces on for 5 weeks when the teeth came out. It was done under general as both were badly impacted. I have never previously had any teeth out so I am not sure what it would be like without the brace tbh. My experience wasn't a great one. I get very sick from anesthetic though. The main problem is not being able to clean your mouth/braces properly for a week or so. My mouth felt horrible. But its only short term!

I then had jaw surgery this March with braces on including no chewing and being banded fully shut for 6 weeks so I can safely say you will be fine after a week of not getting your mouth cleaned properly!

[AltoRose]

Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought about how hard it would be to clean my braces during recovery...ugh. At least I only have to get it done once!

[trisportgirl]

I had three wisdom teeth removed under general about a month after I got my braces. I just stayed on liquids for a while afterwards to make it easier to clean my teeth, and really having braces didn't really have an impact on the whole process. Only problem was my surgeon ended up breaking off a bracket on my back molar in the process and just put a giant dob of glue on the archwire to hold it until I could get the bracket re-bonded. Everyone at my ortho's office had a good laugh over that because they'd never seen anyone do that before!

I think everyone's experience with wisdom teeth is different, some have a really terrible time and for others it's no big deal, but having braces wasn't really a factor in my experience.

Good luck and happy healing!